More than a quarter of Buckinghamshire’s school leavers go on to Russell Group universities after key stage 5 (KS5, after A levels or other level 3 qualification, usually aged 18).
This is the highest proportion recorded in any of England’s 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and more than double the national rate, nine percentage points above 2nd placed Hertfordshire. Buckinghamshire also has the highest share of school leavers going onto Oxbridge (3.0 per cent) and to universities ranked among the top third of all higher education institutes. Overall, 60.0 per cent of school leavers went on to higher education after KS5. the highest share among LEPs ahead of London (58.8) and Hertfordshire (57.0).
At just 5.0 per cent, Buckinghamshire has the 2nd lowest proportion of school leavers entering further education after KS5, while at 3.0 per cent, Buckinghamshire’s share of school leavers starting apprenticeships after KS5 is half the 6.0 per cent recorded across England.
Table 1: School leavers’ destination after Key Stage 5, 2016/17
Source: Department of Education, 2019
Wycombe saw the highest share of school leavers entering higher education among Buckinghamshire’s parliamentary constituencies at 67.0 per cent, to rank 33rd of all 533 constituencies in England, ahead of Beaconsfield (65.0, 55th), Chesham & Amersham (59.0, 123rd), Buckingham (57.0, 157th), and Aylesbury (55.0, 201st). Progression to Russell Group universities was at least seven percentage points above the 12.0 per cent recorded across England in all five constituencies, reaching 33 per cent in Beaconsfield and Wycombe, both ranking 9th in England.
At 21.0 per cent, Buckinghamshire has the 22nd highest proportion of school leavers entering sustained employment after KS5, one percentage point below the 22 per cent recorded across England. At 25 and 24 per cent respectively, both the Buckingham and Aylesbury constituencies better the national share of young people entering sustained employment after KS5, but rank only 158th and 174th respectively among English constituencies. At 17 per cent, the Beaconsfield and Wycombe constituencies rank joint 346th, with Chesham and Amersham ranking 272nd with 21 per cent.
After KS4, 96 per cent of Buckinghamshire’s pupils enter sustained education, employment or training, including 64 per cent entering a state funded school sixth form, the 12th highest share in the country and the 3rd highest outside London. A further 24 per cent enter FE, while 4 per cent go to sixth form college and another 4 per cent start apprenticeships.
Table 2: School leavers’ destination after Key Stage 5, 2016/17
Source: BBF analysis of Department of Education, 2019
The full dataset can be downloaded here >
